Gennaro Gattuso has explained the reason behind his public spat with analyst Josko Jelicic.
Gattuso refused to shake Jelicic’s hand or speak to him during a post-match interview following Hajduk Split’s 3-0 defeat at title rivals Rijeka yesterday.
Jelicic, who used to play for Hajduk, was unimpressed with their performance and his criticism of Gattuso and his players clearly got back to the Italian, who was in no mood for pleasantries when he came to face the TV cameras.
Things got heated between Joško Jeličić and Gennaro Gattuso after the match. pic.twitter.com/NZEd6Qe04x
— Croatian Football (@CroatiaFooty) March 16, 2025
Gattuso said: “I think he has no respect for me or the players. He keeps bringing things up in public. It’s easy to talk in the media when no one is around or behind your back, but what bothers me most is that he was a professional player and knows the problems in football and what it entails.
“It really offends me when someone tells me I’m a foreigner. What does that mean? That I didn’t play football? That I don’t belong here? Say it to my face, just like you said we’re playing poorly.”
Gattuso – Jelicic has been destroying my players for months
Jelicic won one cap for Croatia but was sent-off against Austria and never played again.
And Gattuso questioned his credentials for criticising him and his team.
He added: “My players suffer the most—for months, he’s been destroying them with his sarcastic comments, acting like he’s won the World Cup, the Champions League, and as if he’s the greatest coach in the world.”
